Bridgeville Police Officer Charged with Theft

Georgetown – The Attorney General’s Office announced today that an investigation into currency missing from the Bridgeville Police headquarters evidence locker has led to the arrest of an officer for theft.

The Attorney General’s Special Investigations Unit initiated a criminal investigation in July, 2012 after the Attorney General’s Office was contacted by the Bridgeville Police Department, which had learned that cash was missing from its evidence section. Based on the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office secured an indictment by the Sussex County Grand Jury on October 1 charging Allen Parsons, age 54, of Bridgeville with one count of Theft over $1,500 and one count of Official Misconduct. Parsons was an officer with the rank of Sergeant in the Bridgeville Police Department at the time of the investigation. He is no longer employed at the Department. The specific dollar amount of the missing money is still under investigation.

“Theft under any circumstance is against the law, but theft for personal gain by an individual in a position of public trust is even more troubling and harmful,” Attorney General Biden said.

As a result of the criminal indictment, an arrest warrant was issued and Parsons was arrested on October 3 by Special Investigators from the Attorney General’s Office. He was arraigned in Sussex County Superior Court and was released on $3,000 unsecured bond.

The Delaware Department of Justice reminds the public that an indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a jury trial at which the state bears the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.